2urn:lsid:arphahub.com:pub:45048D35-BB1D-5CE8-9668-537E44BD4C7Eurn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:91BD42D4-90F1-4B45-9350-EEF175B1727AZooKeysZK1313-29891313-2970Pensoft Publishers10.3897/zookeys.692.1206212062Research ArticleDiscovery of the genus Nipponodipogon Ishikawa in the Oriental region, with description of two new species from China (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae)LoktionovValery M.1LelejArkady S.1XuZai-fu2xuzaifu@scau.edu.cn1Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok-22 690022, RussiaRussian Academy of SciencesVladivostokRussia2Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina

20172182017692103127211B0310-FFDD-C734-8461-FFE6FFA6376B11497868E126CF5-80CE-4261-8E2F-A35C31750A1E2220171662017Valery M. Loktionov, Arkady S. Lelej, Zai-fu XuThis is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Abstract

The genus Nipponodipogon Ishikawa, 1965 is newly recorded from China (Guangdong, Hainan, and Yunnan) and the Oriental Region. Two new species, N.orientalis Loktionov, Lelej & Xu, sp. n. (Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan) and N.shimizui Loktionov, Lelej & Xu, sp. n. (Guangdong, Yunnan), are described and illustrated. The updated key to the species based on Shimizu et al. (2015) is given.

Loktionov VM, Lelej AS, Xu Z-f (2017) Discovery of the genus Nipponodipogon Ishikawa in the Oriental region, with description of two new species from China (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae) ZooKeys 692: 103–127. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.692.12062

Introduction

The family Pompilidae (spider wasps) is one of the largest families among the aculeate wasps in Hymenoptera. The family numbers around 5000 recent species in 125 genera and five subfamilies in the World (Aguiar et al. 2013, Waichert et al. 2015), 650 species in the Palaearctic (Lelej and Loktionov 2012a). The spider wasps are distributed worldwide, but mostly in the tropical regions (Pitts et al. 2006). The spider wasps are parasitoids that use spiders as host provisioning each cell with a single paralyzed spider on which they lay an egg (Iwata 1976). Some genera have evolved the mode of cleptoparasitism (Wasbauer 1995, Shimizu 2000, O’Neill 2001, Shimizu et al. 2012).

One of such cleptoparasitic genera is Nipponodipogon Ishikawa, 1965, a representative of brood parasitic wasps. Shimizu and Ishikawa (2002) pointed out the peculiar features in their antennal structure: the antenna is short, stout, and thickened toward middle of flagellum, and F2–F10 are somewhat flattened on the anteroventral side. Shimizu et al. (2012) confirmed the brood parasitism of N.nagasei and N.iwatai by using trap-nest technique. Based on several pieces of circumstantial evidence obtained from the contents of trap nests, they concluded that both species brood-parasitize species of Deuteragenia Šustera, 1912 (tribe Deuterageniini), and N.iwatai brood-parasitizes species of Auplopus Spinola, 1841 (tribe Auplopodini). They also discovered, that female of N.nagasei routinely lays up to five eggs on a single host spider, all of which develop into adult wasps without larval cannibalism; instead all spider wasps previously studied lay only one egg on a host spider (Shimizu et al. 2012).

Nipponodipogon, from the tribe Deuterageniini, subfamily Pepsinae, is distributed so far in the Eastern Palaearctic: in the Japanese Archipelago and the south of the Russian Far East. Ishikawa (1965) created this taxon as a subgenus of the genus Dipogon Fox, 1897, based on three species from Japan, Dipogon (Nipponodipogon) iwatai Ishikawa, 1965 (Honshu), D. (N.) nagasei Ishikawa, 1965 (Honshu and Kyushu) and D. (N.) mandibularis Ishikawa, 1965 (Honshu), the first of which is the type species. Later, Ishikawa (1968) described one species, D. (N.) hayachinensis Ishikawa from Japan, and Lelej (1986) described two species: D. (N.) rossicus Lelej and D. (N.) kurilensis Lelej from the Russian Far East. In the phylogenetic analysis of the tribe Deuterageniini (Lelej and Loktionov 2012b), Nipponodipogon, as well as, other subgenera of the genus Dipogon were proposed as separated genera. Shimizu et al. (2015) revised the genus Nipponodipogon, and described N.sudai Shimizu from Japan. Before this study, the genus included seven species that have been known from Japan and the Russian Far East (Loktionov and Lelej 2014, Shimizu et al. 2015).

In this paper we describe two new species of Nipponodipogon from China and enlarge the distribution of the genus to include China and the Oriental Region.

Materials and methods

During the study of hymenopteran collection in South China Agricultural University, we examined more than 2300 specimens of Chinese spider wasps collected during last two decades from Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan, Zhejiang, Hebei, Fujian, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou. Of them only 14 specimens belonging to the genus Nipponodipogon were collected in 2006, 2010, and 2011 years in the Oriental part of China (Guangdong, Hainan and Yunnan) by yellow pan traps and sweeping nets. The following acronyms are used for the collections where type specimens are deposited:

To study male genitalic characters, genitalia were extracted after being previously softened. The muscles were removed in a sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH 10%). The genitalia were later placed in water to neutralize the NaOH and stored in micro vials filled with glycerin. Male genitalia were studied under a stereomicroscope in a depression slide.

Photographs of imagos and genitalia were taken with stereomicroscope SteREO Discovery.V12 and stacked using CombineZM software (Hadley 2008). The final illustrations were post-processed for contrast and brightness using Adobe® Photoshop® software.

The terminology for morphology is mostly based on the glossary provided by the Hymenoptera Anatomy Consortium (2013) and Shimizu et al. (2015). The terminology of wing venation and cells follows Day (1988). The following abbreviations are used for morphological terms:

F1, F2, F3 etc., the first, second, third flagellomeres, etc.;

MID the middle interocular distance;

OOD the distance between posterior ocellus and compound eye which is measured from above;

The representatives of the genus Nipponodipogon are brood parasitic wasps. Nipponodipogonnagasei and N.iwatai brood-parasitize species of Deuteragenia Šustera, 1912 (tribe Deuterageniini), and N.iwatai brood-parasitizes species of Auplopus Spinola, 1841 (tribe Auplopodini). Female of N.nagasei routinely lays up to five eggs on a single host spider, all of which develop into adult wasps without larval cannibalism, instead all spider wasps previously studied lay only one egg on a host spider (Shimizu et al. 2012).

Head and mesosoma matt. Frons, vertex, and mesosoma, except propodeum, finely and densely punctate. Pronotum anteriorly, laterally and collar finely striate and punctate. Mesopleuron with denser punctures. Upper mesopleuron and metapleuron finely and densely striate. Lateral side of metanotum with several regular oblique striae. Propodeum strongly and densely punctate with fine transverse rugae posteriorly and much stronger rugae posterolaterally (Figs 5–7). Metasoma somewhat polished. T1–T5 with fine punctures; T6 and S6 less polished than other segments, with scattered setiferous pores located on all exposed portion; S1–S5 with somewhat larger punctures than on T1–T5. S1 with several longitudinal rugae baso-medially. Transverse groove on S2 gently arcuate.

Body with gray pubescence mostly short, but longer on clypeus, mesopleuron, propodeum posterolaterally and coxae. Body without setae except the following: upper frons sometimes with one long erect setae and a few shorter ones; clypeus with a few long suberect setae anteriorly; coxae and T1 basally with scattered short erect setae; S2–S5 with scattered longer erect setae posteriorly; T6 and S6 with denser long erect pale setae.

The female of new species is similar to those of Nipponodipogonkurilensis, N.sudai, and N.shimizui sp. n. by having outer apicoventral corner of metafemur produced triangularly (Fig. 8) and T1 petiolate basally (Fig. 6), but can be separated from all of them in having mesosoma completely yellow orange (Figs 1, 7) (vs completely or mostly black (Figs 23, 29)) and posterolateral portion of propodeum with strong transverse rugae (Figs 5–7) (vs with fine transverse striae or/and punctures (Figs 27–29, 44)). Female of N.orientalis sp. n. differs from that of N.kurilensis in having T1 with long petiole (Fig. 6) (vs short one in N.kurilensis (Shimizu et al. 2015: fig. 3D)); and from that of N.shimizui sp. n. in having crossvein 3rs-m distinctly curved (Fig. 9) and T6 somewhat polished, not shagreened, with distinct scattered setiferous pores (vs crossvein 3rs-m almost straight and T6 matt, shagreened, without distinct setiferous pores in N.shimizui sp. n. (Figs 31, 39)).

Male of new species is closely related to that of N.shimizui sp. n. by some morphological characters including shape of hypopygium and genitalia, but easily distinguishes in propodeum with fine transverse striae posterolaterally (Fig. 15) (vs propodeum without any striae in N.shimizui sp. n. (Fig. 38)); exposed portion of hypopygium narrow in lateral view (Fig. 22) (vs noticeably wider in N.shimizui sp. n. (Fig. 43)); subbasal portion of hypopygium in ventral view with round sublateral carina (Fig. 21, arrow) (vs with angulate sublateral carina in N.shimizui sp. n. (Fig. 42, arrow)); S6 with setiferous pores posteromedially (Fig. 18) (vs without setiferous pores posteromedially in N.shimizui sp. n. (Fig. 39)). Male of new species is also similar to that of N.sudai in having petiole on T1 basally (Fig. 15), but can be easily differentiated by having F3–F11 not producing triangularly beneath, not forming serrated profile (vsF3–F11 produced triangularly beneath, forming serrated profile in N.sudai); lateral hook on S6 small, claw-like, curved and pointed to apex (Fig. 18) (vs lateral hook on S6 large, strongly compressed laterally and thin, subtriangular in profile in N.sudai (Fig. 46)); and exposed portion of hypopygium without long erect setae (Figs 21, 22) (vs with long erect setae in N.sudai (Fig. 48)).

In spite of the fact that females and males were collected in different locations (two males from Yunnan and five females from Guangdong and Hainan) and have different coloration (mesosoma completely yellow orange in female vs completely black in male), we consider that they are opposite sexes of same species. Male of new species has propodeum with fine transverse striae posterolaterally that correlates with strong transverse rugae on propodeum posteriorly, especially in posterolateral portion in female (vs male without any striae, female with fine transverse striae in Nipponodipogonshimizui sp. n.). Such coloration differences in female and male of new species are not exception and occur in widely distributed Palaearctic species Arachnotheutesrufithorax (Costa, 1881) (Loktionov and Lelej 2017: figs 87, 88).

Etymology.

The name of the new species refers to the first record of the genus in the Oriental Region.

Body with gray pubescence mostly short, but longer on propodeum posterolaterally. Body without setae except the following: upper frons sometimes with one long erect setae; clypeus with a few long suberect setae anteriorly; S2–S5 with scattered long or short erect setae posteriorly; T6 and S6 with denser long erect pale setae.

Male of new species is closely related to that of N.orientalis sp. n. by having some morphological characters including shape of hypopygium and genitalia, but can be easily distinguished in having propodeum without any striae posterolaterally (Fig. 38) (vs with fine transverse striae posterolaterally in N.orientalis sp. n. (Fig. 15)); exposed portion of hypopygium noticeably wider in lateral view (Fig. 43) (vs narrow in N.orientalis sp. n. (Fig. 22); subbasal portion of hypopygium in ventral view with angulate sublateral carina (Fig. 42, arrow) (vs with round sublateral carina in N.orientalis sp. n. (Fig. 21, arrow)); and S6 without setiferous pores posteromedially (Fig. 39) (vs with setiferous pores in N.orientalis sp. n. (Fig. 18)). Male of new species is also similar to that of N.sudai in having petiole in T1 basally (Fig. 38), but can be separated in having F3–F11 not producing triangularly beneath, not forming serrated profile (vsF3–F11 produced triangularly beneath, forming serrated profile in N.sudai); lateral hook on S6 claw-like, weakly curved and pointed to apex (Fig. 39) (vs lateral hook on S6 strongly compressed laterally and thin, subtriangular in profile in N.sudai (Fig. 46)); and exposed portion of hypopygium without long erect setae (Figs 42, 43) (vs with long erect setae in N.sudai (Fig. 48)).

In spite of females and males were collected in different locations (one male in Yunnan and six females in Guangdong), we consider that they are opposite sexes of the same species. Male S6 of new species lacks setiferous pores posteromedially (Fig. 39), which correlates with female S6 of similar condition medially (vs with scattered setiferous pores in male and female of Nipponodipogonorientalis sp. n.).

Etymology.

It is a pleasure to name this species after the well-known taxonomist Dr. Akira Shimizu (Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan).

We would like to thank Dr. Akira Shimizu (Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan) for the gift of valuable comparative material. We are grateful to Andreas Köhler, Eduardo dos Santos and anonymous reviewers for appraising the manuscript and useful suggestions that have improved it. This study supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2013CB127600) and the Russian Found of Basic Research (No. 15-29-02466, 16-54-0041, 17-04-00259).

July 18, 2017 Prof. Xu Zai-fu died suddenly after a serious illness. He was only 52 years old. We indebted him for his kindness and support of Hymenoptera research in China.